Compare windscreen insurance quotes

Depending on your policy, windscreen cover insurance could be included as standard or it could be a standalone extra you need to pay for. 

Make sure to read through your car insurance policy carefully to find out what your car insurance covers you against and what excess payments might be applied to windscreen claims. Also check if windscreen claims affect your no claims bonus.

It may be possible to upgrade your policy but in some cases you’ll be better off buying a separate windscreen policy that has no excess and will not affect your car insurance no claims bonus.

Yes, at the very minimum your windscreen will be covered much like the way every other part of your car is covered with a comprehensive car insurance policy. But you would still have to pay an excess if you made a claim.

Windscreen cover is not included on a third party policy, as this type of insurance doesn’t provide protection against damage to your vehicle.

Where it’s included, some standard policy wordings mean even if you only have a minor chip you would still need to pay your full excess.

Any claim made on a standalone windscreen cover policy won’t have an impact on your car insurance no claims bonus. 

However, if you have a standard car insurance policy that doesn’t have a provision for windscreen damage your no claims bonus could be affected.

Not always. In some cases, if you only need to repair a chip or small crack in the windscreen, the car insurance company may not charge you an excess. There may be an excess charge for a larger job or a full windscreen replacement, but this excess is usually lower than the main compulsory excess on your car insurance policy.

The amount of excess you get charged could be more expensive if you don’t use an approved repairer. This is because many insurance companies have partnerships with approved repairers and get a discount.

Always check with your insurer first before getting it fixed, as they may put a limit on how much you can spend on repairs. Your insurer might be able to get your windscreen fixed faster using their approved repairer.

You should get damaged windscreens fixed as quickly as possible regardless of whether or not you have windscreen cover. This is for your own safety.

Also, if you have windscreen cover and you delay getting a small chip fixed before a chip spreads or becomes a crack, a potential repair job could become a replacement. This would see you pay a far bigger excess than you’d otherwise needed to, unless of course your insurer suspects your delay caused the damage to grow and invalidates the claim. .

If you don't have windscreen cover and the chip gets larger, chances are the windscreen might be beyond repair and you will face a larger bill to get it replaced.

Yes. Each time you apply for new or renewed car insurance you’ll be asked whether you lodged a claim in the previous five years. However, windscreen insurance claims shouldn't affect your premium.

Having a large crack in your windscreen is dangerous, and could see you fail your MOT. It could even get you stopped by the police.

You can buy physical covers to protect your windscreen from extremes of temperature. Windscreen frost covers and sun shields can be bought from DIY and hardware stores or suppliers of car parts.

Wild fluctuations in temperature can cause glass to crack or shatter so never pour boiling water on an iced-up windscreen.

Some windscreen cover policies also pay to repair your car's bodywork if any of the broken glass from the damaged windscreen has scratched the car or chipped off some of the paint, for example. 

Check if side windows and rear windows are covered in the policy too, as this could prove to be a good money saver later on should you need to make a claim on a smashed window outside of your standard car insurance policy.

Bespoke windscreen cover typically costs between £30 and £50 per year and you may only have to pay an excess of around £50 in the event you need to replace the windscreen. 

Add on windscreen cover is cheaper with standard car insurance policies – say £20 to £30, but replacement excesses are far higher, typically more than £100. 

Most windscreen repair companies can repair your windscreen fairly easily and in around 20 to 30 minutes, if it's a small crack. The crack or chip should not be:

• within 6cm of any edge of the glass 

• a maximum of 28mm at any point

• no wider than 10mm if it appears within the 30cm wide vertical band in front of the driver's view

Windscreen repairs can normally cost around £60 to £100 (depending on a variety of factors) for the most minor chips plus any additional fees for call outs made out of standard office hours. 

The costs can quickly escalate if there are multiple chips, extensive damage to the windscreen or damage in the driver’s eyeline or too close to the glass’s edge. In these cases it’ll need replacing which typically costs from £190 to more than £400 depending on the make and model.